IEM Kraków 2026 Etapp 1: Resultat och viktiga turneringstrender

Stage 1 of IEM Kraków 2026 in Counter-Strike 2 became the first major phase of the tournament, where teams were fighting not only for qualification to the Group Stage but also for valuable VRS ranking points. The Play-In format is traditionally considered one of the most intense, as every mistake can cost a team its tournament run.

Stage 1 featured 16 teams competing in a double-elimination BO3 format. This structure allowed teams to survive one loss, while a second defeat meant immediate elimination. As a result of the stage, the top 8 teams secured spots in the Group Stage.

Best Outcomes From IEM Kraków Stage 1

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During Stage 1, GG.BET Bet Builder users showed notable activity. Bet Builder is a product that allows players to combine multiple betting markets within a single match. According to internal statistics from January 28–29, the success rate exceeded the average for this type of format.

On certain days, up to 29% of users created winning Bet Builder combinations, while during peak matches this figure reached 45%, which is a strong result for multi-market bets. This highlights the relatively predictable nature of Stage 1 matches and a balanced, analytical approach from users when selecting markets.

Matches with clear and readable game scenarios generated the most interest. In particular, Passion UA vs G2 Esports and Legacy vs FUT Esports were the most popular among Bet Builder users. These matches most often featured combinations involving match winners, handicaps, and individual map results.

The highest winning odds during Stage 1 reached 4.86 and were recorded in the Legacy vs BC.Game Esports match. The winning combination included a BC.Game victory and an individual market — s1mple’s total kills over 15.5 on the first map. This example clearly demonstrates the potential of Bet Builder when player statistics are used effectively.

The most frequently combined markets were match winner, exact map score, as well as map and round handicaps. This confirms that users generally focused on logical match developments rather than high-risk outcomes.

Teams Qualified for the IEM Kraków Group Stage

After three days of competition, the following teams advanced to the next stage:

• PVISION — confidently progressed through the upper bracket, including a win over Heroic, and showed consistent performance across all maps.
• G2 Esports — defeated Team Liquid 2:1 in a key upper-bracket match and qualified directly for the Group Stage.
• 3DMAX — a clean qualification without a single loss, a strong result for the French squad.
• NRG Esports — won a tense 2:1 series against Astralis, showing composure in decisive rounds.
• BC.Game — capitalized on their lower-bracket opportunity, with the 2:0 win over Ninjas in Pyjamas proving especially important.
• FUT Esports — delivered a stable performance, defeating Liquid and GamerLegion to advance without major issues.
• Astralis — regrouped after an upper-bracket loss and secured qualification through the lower bracket.
• Aurora Gaming — showed confident play in the lower bracket and made the most of their second chance.

BC.Game reached the main stage of a tier-1 tournament for the first time. Who knows — this could mark the beginning of s1mple’s full return to the tier-1 scene.

Teams Eliminated from IEM Kraków

The following teams failed to overcome Stage 1 and were eliminated from the tournament:

• B8 — lost 0:2 to paiN Gaming and exited the tournament.
• Heroic — were defeated by GamerLegion and ended their run.
• Ninjas in Pyjamas — eliminated after a loss to BC.Game.
• Passion UA — lost to NiP and failed to advance.
• GamerLegion — a series of unsuccessful matches led to an early exit.
• Team Liquid — the loss to FUT Esports proved decisive and blocked their path to the Group Stage.
• paiN Gaming — failed to overcome Aurora Gaming in the decisive match and were eliminated.
• Legacy — the Brazilian team could not find their game and failed to win a single match.

Overall, there were no major surprises, although it is worth noting that B8’s sniper replacement has yet to justify itself.

Key Matches of Stage 1

In the upper bracket, special attention was drawn to the NRG vs B8 match, which went to three maps (Dust2, Mirage, Inferno), with NRG ultimately proving stronger over the distance.

The Liquid vs Ninjas in Pyjamas matchup started confidently for Liquid, but a subsequent loss to G2 prevented the team from qualifying through the upper bracket.

The G2 vs Liquid match was one of the most intense series of Stage 1. The decisive map, Anubis, ended 16:14 in favor of G2, securing direct qualification to the Group Stage for the European squad.

The Astralis vs NRG series was also extremely close. Despite Astralis’ experience, NRG executed key rounds more effectively and closed the series 2:1.

In the lower bracket, paiN Gaming’s win over B8 and BC.Game’s victory against Ninjas in Pyjamas stood out as defining results for the final placements.

Key Takeaways from Stage 1

To summarize the performance of several teams: as previously mentioned, the replacement of headtr1ck with segukawa in B8 has not paid off so far. In two matches against relatively modest opponents, he delivered very poor statistics.

As for s1mple and BC.Game, they produced a minor sensation by reaching the IEM Kraków 2026 Group Stage. It all started with a comeback on the first map against Legacy, where BC.Game forced overtime after trailing 11:2 and went on to win both the map and the series.

Team Liquid once again failed to show strong form and did not reach the main stage of a tier-1 tournament, which is disappointing for such a legendary organization. HEROIC, playing with a stand-in and without their main AWPer, were unable to create an upset and exited the tournament without winning a single match.